


Helping

by MischiefHowl



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Broken Bones, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, M/M, Minor Character Death, No Plot/Plotless, Title is bad sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-07 02:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18863788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MischiefHowl/pseuds/MischiefHowl
Summary: They both were shot, one worse then the other. Of course he chose to help instead of fleeing.





	Helping

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired from a prompt that jinxofthedesert posted on Tumblr and I decided to try and give the little idea a go with my own twists.

They played this game of cat and mouse for months, a game only for them, though he did allow the GCPD or any other nuisance to get involved.. if they didn't care about their meaningless lives at least and oh how J loved to kill in such funny ways, well, funny to him.

The Batman.. how his Dark Knight rose, yet.. was this his true dark knight. The one Ra's Al Ghul had spoke over and even shared his vision with.. Jeremiah? Was that his name? He digressed, not important. What was important right now was them standing here, opposite each other.. and J wondering if it was truly Bruce Wayne under there, or someone else that he felt more of a connection to.. if the latter, shame.. he had such high hopes for Bruce over him returning to be just another Gotham Elite.  
The voice was different, a device that altered it. Smart person. "You always return here. Why?" 

The question sounded genuine, yet he knew that this Batman was buying time, trying to find an opening, whatever came first. But he decided to play along, if only to spend a little longer with the Bat that had his heart for a moment. "It's where I was reborn.." He looks at the railings, seeing all but one in tact.. there was one missing and below was the green chemical vat. "I came to remember." He continued while running his yellow gloves over the railings before letting his arm drop to his side. "It comes sometimes in one memory, sometimes in another. I don't know why I should bother.. yet here I am. An.. And here you are. But you weren't here the night we were reborn."

"We?"

"Bruce.. I think Bruce... yes, Bruce was reborn. Only his rebirth was less.. well, fizzly and melting. And doubt it still burns.. but who knows who knows."

"Bruce, as in Wayne?"

"Is there another? He was with me, that never quite changes. But if I want to know what happened that night, should I go talk to him? I don't know.. I always come here." He leans against the railing, the Bat hadn't attacked him yet. He was wide open for an attack now. The man wanted to know J as much as he wanted to know himself. 

\---

 

The shots were sudden. Either they were to lost in themselves and each other to have noticed, or maybe the ones that shot had the most stealth. All J knew was hearing the all to familiar sounds of gun fire.. he didn't know he was shot until he felt warm liquid trickling and staining his suit from his shoulder.. The Bat on the other hand.. he took the hit and collapsed. 

J didn't know what came over him, he should have been upon his attack and ripping their eyes out for daring to interfere, instead, he was on the Bat and heaving him up, ignoring the slight weight on his bleeding and aching shoulder. He ran, ignoring and hoping the bullets being fired didn't hit him fatally or the Bat..

Being on a bridge was to open and he was fearing he was indeed shot and not knowing he was dying. Instead he used all his strength to jump off the stair railing.. stupid idea. Considering the fall he estimated wouldn't have been so bad if he wasn't carrying another's body weight. 

The crack was sickening to hear.. the agony was worse, and damn did he scream out. Teeth gritting together so tight he swore they'd crack. Still he forced himself to pull the Bat to safety, more annoyed at how heavy this man was. Behind the vat, thanking the dark factory as he heard multiple foot steps hurry around. Either they assumed he didn't stay or they ran over the fact he was hiding.

He looked at the Bat, checking at him over his own injury. Feeling and being suddenly grabbed by the Dark Knight who he was sure was glaring at him. J put a finger to his cracked, lip stick smeared lips and pointed at the dark figures running about. J began to get back to work.. Bat was awake at least. 

J finding where the hole was.. it wasn't good. The blood that was pooling out reminded him to much of Ecco's stab wound and he shivered at the memory. He was losing to much blood, it was not a good sign at all.

"Leave me." The Knight whispers, struggling with himself not to show that he was in a lot of pain. 

"....." He looks at the direction of the exit. He could escape, leave the Bat to take care of himself and live to see another day. Yet he looked back, making his choice and whispering. "Not until your dead, which I don't want to have to deal with." 

Bruce didn't like this. He had been to focused on Jeremiah to notice that there were others. He should've guessed J had some more lackeys since he murdered his assistant almost to easily. Well, until he realized that J was shot to and was trying to help him...

The sound, even in his near unconscious state, he'd heard the sickening snap of bone and the howl of agony. He had wanted to know why the other kept coming back even after Bruce knew where he was and left him for the cops to drag back to Arkham. 

He wanted to remember? What and why? 

Also he was sure he would get the firmest talking to when he returned home. The armor protected him, yet.. they managed to get that one place where his armor didn't protect him. And considering he was beginning to feel numb and tired was not good. J was able to leave, so why won't he? Instead the man stayed.

"T-Tell me what to do?"

With enemies still looking around, he began to fiddle around his belt and finally found the tools. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"This may come as a shock to you, Batsy. But I have had first hand experience with injury from my... my.. I don't know who, someone." He quickly hushed himself since his voice was raising and he began to work on trying to tighten Bruce's injury with some cloth.. the blood soaking through until J, hissing with pain at the movement of his leg (he was sure J couldn't have left even if he crawled, no wonder he didn't run.) he began tearing the fabric of his coat continuously wrapping layer after layer around Bruce.. it was all he could remember before he blacked out. The last image wasn't of the monster that was J, but a frantic pale, glasses adjusting, ginger haired engineer trying to save Bruce's life. A nice image to fall into.

\---

 

J was hoping the blood stopping would help him survive until he was taken to the hospital. His gloves were now red from the blood and he was so focused on the Bat that he forgotten why they were here, and who was at fault. He looked up and around, still seeing nothing but steam but not at all convinced they gave up. "Batsy..." He turned after not hearing a response. Even in the darkness he was sure the man was knocked out.. which wasn't at all a good sign. 

Before he could give his face a nice bloody hand print, he paused and eyed the mask. 

"Just a peek couldn't hurt you." He grinned. "No it won't, Mr. J.. only you can see me. Why thank you Mr. B you're to kind!" He chuckled as he began to pull off the mask... off off.

And J expected it right? Well, he should have. Instead he nearly jumped back and nearly hit the back of his head against the vat at the face he saw. The same face in his dreams, older, stronger.. but it was him. The billionaire that returned to Gotham, the one that understood him, the one he.. he dared say loved him at one time.

Bruce Wayne was laying there and J felt only fear now and a burning hatred for those that shot him. He turned, gritting his teeth..

And when they made the mistake of showing that they still were looking to finish them off, all J's rage came in an almost feral swoop. He attacked them, knife, teeth, fingers. Anything he used first, or was closest to the others. He tore and ripped and the screams were not enough music to his ears, not enough blood. He demanded more to spill to pour all over him, covering him with their liquid regret. 

No one will take the Bat, no one will hurt him, no one will have him. Only J.. and he laughed and laughed. His pale skin, clothing.. everything was darkly stained and sticky with the gore and blood he happily took part in. He even whistled a tune as he, in his blood lust, forgetting about Bruce, began to paint morbid words in the brightest area to make sure it was displayed lovely and awfully. Even using what was left of the corpses to spell out when he ran out of blood. 

**J Was Here**

Not really original or funny, but it was enough for him.

And he remembered his poor Bats. "Oh he won't be happy.. yes he will, it's a nice little gift- no he will hate it." He shook his head of the argument. "We have more important things to deal with. Agreed." He turned to the Bat, now more worried and was upon him once again, looking at the mask that was still off him. "My beloved Dark Knight, I told you it was meant to be. It took you so long, my Bat" He near purred. Batman came, it was so long. 

"You abandoned us when we needed you most. Do not leave me now, after I ruined my favorite coat for you" He looks at Bruce and he heard the sirens in the distance. A frown appearing over his lipstick smile. The Bat must have some signal where if he doesn't respond then he gets help. "Always ruining the moment, Bruce."

He looks at the man, how he'd grown. The city needed him and was all his to hold, just as J was his forever. 

"Jeremiah..." 

The name echo'd in his head as Bruce muttered it. It wasn't angry like Jim's was, nor happy. It was sad, did the name make him sad? Was he truly Jeremiah? It still sounded wrong to him. He was not Jeremiah. "Bruce. Who am I to you? Am I a Jeremiah? Why are you so sad? Tell me why Jeremiah makes you sad. No no.. you lost Jeremiah, yes. That's why you're sad."

And for a moment he saw in his mind, two young men talking with each other, smiling. One that was Bruce. The other.. the other that looked to familiar but also to stranger. Was this Jeremiah? Red hair, glasses, smiling like the happiest man on Earth with Bruce. He felt the same, only Bruce didn't smile like that with him. And he frowned. If he was Jeremiah? What happened to them?

"Eh, maybe I'll remember tomorrow. For today, I'm your J and you're my Bats.. yes my dearest Batman. " The sirens were growing louder, confirming his suspicion they were coming for him. And if he stayed, they'd assume it was him..

The adrenaline sadly took that time to have run it's course. That, a broken leg, and blood loss.. he wasn't going anywhere but the ER with Batman. First though he carefully slipped on the mask, hiding his secret to all but J who fell beside him, Batman was helped, J on the other hand continued to bleed out.

\---

 

Batman was treated with care, J.. well he was treated with enough care but while being strapped and handcuffed to tightly to the bed.

Bruce would come to see him finally. The two meeting. "Jeremiah.. or is it J now?"

"You're up to early. If I'm still stuck in here with a bullet in my shoulder, you should be still in bed, bad boy" He chuckled at the man's puzzled expression. "You can wear your mask all you want, I'm happy you are who I always believed you to be"

The look of worry didn't register. J was toying with him he was sure. "You saved Batman. It's all over the news."

"Moment of weakness." He shook his head. "He didn't deserve to die so soon when a city needs him."

"You didn't answer my question. Are you Jeremiah or J?"

"J. People call me Jeremiah. The name sounds so familiar but so strange to. It belonged to another me maybe."

"Jeremiah" Bruce was unsure himself why he was here. He had to take in J, confirm to himself Jeremiah was dead and what was in front of him was a soulless monster that only looked like his closest friend. "He was a great structural engineer that was my closest and only true friend as I was his. We promised to make great changes in Gotham. Together"

"So.. I am like him then. I make great changes with you."

"No. He would never have done what you had and will do. He was capable of killing, but did he do it? Only when there was no choice and self defense. He was human, he did great things. He didn't slaughter and torture the innocent or try to drive people mad.. or what you did while Batman was unconscious and unable to stop you. No, Jeremiah Valeska died and you wear... wore his body like some demon out of hell. You aren't and never will be Jeremiah."

 

"Jeremiah sounded like a good man. Shame he's gone. But do I wear his face?" He grinned at the man. "Must have been one beautiful looker to"

"He was, you're just a vile abomination." Bruce looked at J's expression harden and even try to move and yelp in pain since J realized he in fact had a broken leg. "It was broken from the impact of your fall, and you moving around made it worse."

"What can I say, you're heavy. I hope you take care of your armor next time. I can't always be there to save ya, Bruce." He lays his head back into the pillow. 

"How much do you know?"

"I know that we should've **both** been vigilant that night, Batsy."


End file.
